“He Was Going to Actually Throw Up in the War Room”: Washington Football Team Coaches Didn’t Want to Draft Dwayne Haskins

After Washington released QB Dwayne Haskins yesterday, an ESPN reporter recalled a unique moment from draft night 2019.

Washington selected Haskins with the 15th pick in the 2019 draft, but his time in the Capital has come to an abrupt end. According to ESPN’s Dianna Russini, Washington coaches never wanted to pick Haskins in the first place.

Also read: NFL MVP Race: The Case For Aaron Rodgers And Patrick Mahomes

Who Will Replace Dwayne Haskins in Washington?

On Sunday, Haskins was taken out of the game and replaced by Taylor Heinicke in WFT’s loss to the Panthers. It was a game that would have seen them secure their spot in the playoffs with a win.

The next day, the team released Haskins, making him the only first round QB to be released before the end of their second season. Definitely not the type of records he wants to be setting.

“This afternoon I met with Dwayne and informed him that we would be releasing him,” Head Coach Ron Rivera said. “I told him that I believe it benefits both parties that we go our separate ways. We want to thank Dwayne for his contributions these last two seasons and wish him well moving forward.”

Washington will play their last regular season game against the Eagles and again, a win will see them through to the playoffs. Their options at QB for the remainder of the season are either Heinicke or Alex Smith, however it remains unclear who will start.

Most likely, though, Washington won’t see either QB as the future of the team. They will probably elect to pick a QB in the upcoming draft but if they don’t feel comfortable with their choices, there are a number of QB’s they can go after.

Some of the obvious options would be Sam Darnold (if the Jets draft a QB), Marcus Mariota, or even Matt Stafford. Of course, if WFT wants a player of Stafford’s calibre, they need to be ready to trade away some significant assets.